How Waymo Driverless Cars Could Change Los Angeles

Los Angeles, to drivers, has never been for the faint of heart. A land where most cannot fathom life without wheels, it offers a daily parade of frustration: congestion, accidents, construction, road rage, tedium. Every transplant has a story about learning to adapt. “You get in the rhythm of matching everyone else’s energy,” said Tamara… Continue reading How Waymo Driverless Cars Could Change Los Angeles

U.S. Accuses Two Men of Stealing Tesla Trade Secrets

A Canadian man who lives in China was arrested Tuesday and held in New York after he and a business partner were accused of trying to sell secret battery manufacturing technology belonging to Tesla. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn asked a judge to hold Klaus Pflugbeil without bail on a charge of theft of trade secrets.… Continue reading U.S. Accuses Two Men of Stealing Tesla Trade Secrets

Tesla Settles Discrimination Suit With Former Factory Worker

Tesla and a former employee have agreed to settle a closely watched lawsuit that cast a harsh light on the carmaker’s treatment of Black workers. Lawyers for Tesla and for Owen Diaz, who worked at the company’s factory in Fremont, Calif., did not disclose the terms of the settlement in a legal filing on Friday.… Continue reading Tesla Settles Discrimination Suit With Former Factory Worker

Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies

Kenn Dahl says he has always been a careful driver. The owner of a software company near Seattle, he drives a leased Chevrolet Bolt. He’s never been responsible for an accident. So Mr. Dahl, 65, was surprised in 2022 when the cost of his car insurance jumped by 21 percent. Quotes from other insurance companies… Continue reading Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies

Florida Man Sues G.M. and LexisNexis Over Sale of His Cadillac Data

When Romeo Chicco tried to get auto insurance in December, seven different companies rejected him. When he eventually obtained insurance, it was nearly double the rate he was previously paying. According to a federal complaint filed this week seeking class-action status, it was because his 2021 Cadillac XT6 had been spying on him. Modern cars… Continue reading Florida Man Sues G.M. and LexisNexis Over Sale of His Cadillac Data

Car Deals Are Easier to Find but Lenders Are Tightening Their Terms

New cars are more available this spring, and manufacturers have even begun offering deals to entice buyers. But at the same time, lenders have been tightening the terms of car loans as they deal with a rising number of delinquencies. That has made it harder for some people to get affordable loans. Access to auto… Continue reading Car Deals Are Easier to Find but Lenders Are Tightening Their Terms

Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits

In today’s high-tech, high-stakes auto industry, fortunes can change quickly, and there’s no better example of that right now than Toyota Motor. Not long ago, it looked as if Toyota had fallen dangerously behind in electric vehicles. Tesla, the electric car pioneer, has grown rapidly and become the world’s most valuable automaker. Seeing Tesla’s success,… Continue reading Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits

BMW Is a Surprise Winner in Electric Vehicles

As BMW car bodies glided down an assembly line in Munich recently, showered by sparks from robotic welders, it was hard to tell which vehicles would be powered by batteries, fuel-burning engines or both. In the view of many analysts, that is not a good thing. The German automaker’s electric vehicles are made on the… Continue reading BMW Is a Surprise Winner in Electric Vehicles

Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits

In today’s high-tech, high-stakes auto industry, fortunes can change quickly, and there’s no better example of that right now than Toyota Motor. Not long ago, it looked as if Toyota had fallen dangerously behind in electric vehicles. Tesla, the electric car pioneer, has grown rapidly and become the world’s most valuable automaker. Seeing Tesla’s success,… Continue reading Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits

Auto Insurance Spike Hampers the Inflation Fight

Job growth, wage growth and business growth are all lively, and inflation has steeply fallen from its 2022 highs. But consumer sentiment, while improving, is still sour. One reason may be sticker shock from some highly visible prices — even as overall inflation has calmed. The cost of car insurance is a key example. Motor… Continue reading Auto Insurance Spike Hampers the Inflation Fight